Daniel Constantine Marino, Jr. (born September 15, 1961) is an American former football player who was a quarterback for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League (NFL). The last quarterback of the Quarterback Class of 1983 to be taken in the first round, Marino held or currently holds dozens of NFL records associated with the quarterback position. Despite never being on a Super Bowl-winning team, he is recognized as one of the greatest quarterbacks in football history. Best remembered for his quick release and powerful arm, Marino led the Dolphins to the playoffs ten times in his seventeen-season career. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2005.

Early years

Marino was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, of Italian and Polish ancestry. He is the eldest child of Daniel and Veronica (Kolczynski) Marino, and has two younger sisters, Cindi and Debbie.[2][3] His father delivered newspapers for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.[2] Marino grew up on Parkview Avenue[4] in the South Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh, and attended St. Regis Catholic Elementary School. He attended Central Catholic High School in Pittsburgh, where he started in baseball, and won Parade All-American honors in football. He was drafted in the 4th round by the Kansas City Royals in the 1979 amateur draft, but decided to play college football instead.[5]

College career

Marino attended the 1982 Sugar Bowl by throwing a game-winning pass to tight end John Brown with less than a minute remaining in the game. Overall, during the three seasons from 1979 thru 1981, Pitt garnered 33 wins with only 3 losses (three straight 11–1 seasons) and was constantly ranked in the Top 5 of both major media polls. The Pitt football team's fortunes and Marinos's statistics dipped during his senior year, which saw the team transition from head coach Jackie Sherrill to new coach Foge Fazio, culminating in a 7–3 loss in the 1983 Cotton Bowl Classic to Southern Methodist University and their "Pony Express" of Eric Dickerson and Craig James. Marino finished ninth in voting for the Heisman Trophy in 1982, after finishing fourth the previous year.[6] Marino finished his four college seasons with 7,905 passing yards and 74 touchdowns, with 64 interceptions.

Marino's selection status in the 1983 NFL Draft plummeted after his weaker senior season at Pitt,[7] and widespread rumors of drug use.[8] Five other quarterbacks—Ken O'Brien, Tony Eason, Todd Blackledge, and Hall of Famers Jim Kelly and John Elway—were drafted ahead of him in the first round. Bill Hillgrove, who was with the Marino family on draft day, later recalled that when the New York Jets selected O'Brien, Marino "became visibly ill". (O'Brien, who played for Division IICal-Davis, was so obscure that Marino later asked his agent Marvin Demoff "Who is Ken O'Brien?") The Miami Dolphins chose Marino as the 27th pick in the first round. Opinion was divided on the wisdom of the team's decision; Chris Berman said that the Dolphins' head coach Don Shula was "the best", but Paul Zimmerman was skeptical of the coaching staff's ability to help Marino "overcome the problems he's had". Shula later said that being passed up by so many teams "motivated [Marino] to show everybody else what a mistake that they had made."[7]

Professional career

Marino was the first draft pick in the history of the United States Football League, selected by the Los Angeles Express.[6] He did not sign with the team, choosing instead to sign with the Dolphins. After starting the season as a backup to incumbent starter David Woodley, Marino was given his first NFL start in Week 6 versus the Buffalo Bills. Marino and Miami lost that game 38–35 in overtime. As a rookie, Marino set several records: he posted a 96.0 passer rating, he was selected to the Pro Bowl as a rookie, he had the lowest percentage of passes intercepted with 2.03, he was the only rookie quarterback to lead a conference in passing, and he had the highest passing completion percentage with 58.45.[9][10] The Dolphins finished the season with a 12-4 record and advanced to the AFC divisional playoffs, where Marino threw two touchdown passes in his playoff debut. However, he also threw two interceptions as the team lost to the upstart 9-7 Seattle Seahawks, 27-20.

In his second season, Marino broke six NFL full-season passing records, including the records for most touchdown passes (48, stood for 20 years, broken by Peyton Manning with 49 in 2004, and later by Tom Brady with 50 in 2007, and again by Manning with 55 in 2013) and most passing yards (5,084, stood for 27 years, broken by Drew Brees in 2011, and later by Manning in 2013) in a season, and was selected as the NFL's Most Valuable Player. The Dolphins finished with a 14–2 regular season record, clinching home-field advantage for the playoffs. In the Divisional round, the Dolphins avenged their playoff loss of the previous season to Seattle Seahawks 31–10 behind Marino's 262 passing yards and 3 TD's.[11] The next week the Dolphins defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC Championship Game 45–28. In that game, Marino set AFC Championship Game records with 421 passing yards and 4 TD's. Both records still stand as of 2015.

Dan Marino jersey shown at Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, OH

In Super Bowl XIX, Marino and the Dolphins faced off against San Francisco 49ers and Joe Montana in Palo Alto, California. The Dolphins, who had 74 rushing attempts in the previous two weeks, ran the ball only eight times in this game. Marino finished with 29 completions out of 50 attempts for 318 yards, throwing one touchdown pass and two interceptions. The Dolphins lost 38–16 in what was Marino's only Super Bowl appearance.[11]

In 1985, Marino threw for 4,137 yards and 30 touchdowns while leading the Dolphins to the AFC Championship game.[12] On September 29, Marino threw for 390 yards and 3 TD's in the Dolphins' 30–26 victory over the Denver Broncos, in the first matchup between Marino and Broncos quarterback John Elway. Then on December 2, Marino threw for 270 yards and 3 TD's against the vaunted Chicago Bears defense in a 38–24 victory. The loss was the only one that the Bears experienced that season. Marino led the league in yards and touchdown passes and was named first team All-Pro in 1985.[13][14]

On September 7, 1986, 8 days shy of his 25th birthday, Marino threw his 100th touchdown pass in a 50–28 loss at San Diego. Marino accomplished that feat in just 44 games- the fastest in NFL history. In that 1986 season Marino threw for 4,476 yards and 44 TD's. Marino became the first QB in NFL history to record three consecutive seasons of 30 or more touchdown passes; 48 in 1984, 30 in 1985 and 44 in 1986. Marino again led the league in yards and touchdown passes and was named 1986 first team All-Pro.

In 1988, Marino threw for 4,434 yards and 28 TD's. As a result of his 4,434 yards passing, Marino became the first QB in NFL history to throw for 4,000 or more yards in four different seasons. Marino had been tied with Dan Fouts for the most 4,000 yard passing seasons with three.

In 1992, Marino again led the Dolphins to the AFC Championship game while passing for 4,116 and 24 TD's. His 4,116 passing yards led the entire NFL and marked the fifth time in his NFL career that he led the league in passing yards.

In 1993, Miami was strongly favored at the start of the year to make it back to the AFC championship game and possibly the Super Bowl. However, after throwing a swing pass at a game in Cleveland, Marino, who was untouched on the play, crumpled to the ground in pain with a torn Achilles tendon and was out for the season. Marino later said, "I felt like I got kicked".[15] Backup quarterback Scott Mitchell had an impressive series of starts before suffering an injury of his own. Steve DeBerg started the last 4 games of the season. Mitchell signed a free-agent contract with the Detroit Lions, and Miami signed veteran quarterback Bernie Kosar from the Dallas Cowboys as a backup. Wearing a special shoe on one foot, and having a right calf that was visibly atrophied, Marino was the starting quarterback at the start of the 1994 season.

In the season opener, a home game versus the New England Patriots and quarterback Drew Bledsoe, the two quarterbacks put up a combined 894 yards (Marino, 473 yards; Bledsoe, 421 yards) and nine passing touchdowns (Marino, 5; Bledsoe, 4), with Miami winning 39–35. Later in the season, Marino led a comeback win on the road against the New York Jets (28–24), a game famous for Marino's execution of a fake spike for the winning touchdown pass, a play known as "The Clock Play". The Dolphins finished 10–6 that year, and Marino passed for 4,453 yards and was named the NFL's Comeback Player of the Year.

Marino's final win was his first playoff road win and his 36th comeback win, as the Dolphins defeated the Seattle Seahawks 20–17 on January 9, 2000 in the final football game ever in the Seattle Kingdome. In the next round (January 16), also on the road, Marino and the Dolphins lost 62–7 to the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Dolphins' 55 point margin of loss was the worst in AFC Playoff history. Marino was replaced by backup Damon Huard after playing one series in the second half. However, he did end the first half on a high note, leading the Dolphins on an 80-yard scoring drive and throwing a 20-yard touchdown pass to receiver Oronde Gadsden with 20 seconds remaining. The Jacksonville game marked the end of Jimmy Johnson's coaching career; Johnson announced his retirement the next day.

Before the 2000 season, Marino decided to retire,[16] after declining offers from Minnesota, Tampa Bay and his hometown of Pittsburgh when the Dolphins declined his option on his contract. When asked at his retirement press conference why he decided to retire, he responded:

That is a good question. Boy, I really struggled with this. This has been the toughest month of my life as far as dealing with playing football or retiring. After the season, I pretty much thought that I was not going to play anymore and I felt that way for a while and I think it was because of the physical aspects of the game. It kept coming back to how my legs felt during last season, going through the neck injury; not knowing whether I was going to be able to throw the football, and family reasons also, but Claire and the kids, they were great. They wanted me to play, be honest with you. Really, it was my decision, a family decision and a health decision.

Marino later admitted that he seriously considered the offer from the Vikings, but that he turned it down not because of his arm, but because he wasn't sure that his legs could take another season. He also appreciated the fact that unlike many of his contemporaries, he got to play his entire career with one team.

Legacy

During Marino's career, the Dolphins were perennial playoff contenders, reaching the post-season in 10 of his 17 seasons. He was selected to play in nine Pro Bowls (1983–87, 1991–92, 1994–95), seven times as a starter, but due to injuries he only played in two of the games (1984, 1992). He was named first- or second-team All-Pro eight times and earned All-AFC honors six times.[17]

Marino won the 1998 NFL Man of the Year award for his charitable works off the field, making him one of the elite players to have won both NFL MVP and NFL Man of the Year awards.

In 1999, Marino was ranked number 27 on The Sporting News list of the 100 greatest football players, making him the highest-ranking Dolphins player.[18] In 2010 he was ranked number 25 on the NFL's Top 100 Greatest Players list.[19] Marino was known for his quick release, and despite the fact that he was not skilled at scrambling, Marino possessed an uncanny awareness in the pocket, often sliding a step or two to avoid the pass rush.[20] Marino is currently fifth, behind Brett Favre, Peyton Manning, Tom Brady and John Elway on the list of most wins by a starting quarterback, with 147.[21] His winning percentage was .613.

Life after football

On Sunday, September 17, 2000, at halftime of the Dolphins-Baltimore Ravens game at Pro Player Stadium, Dan Marino’s jersey number of 13 was retired. The only other Dolphins jersey number retired at the time was Bob Griese's #12. Since then #39, Larry Csonka, has been retired as well. Marino joined the Dolphins Honor Roll the same day. In a year of accolades from the franchise he led for many years, the Dolphins also installed a life-size bronze statue of Marino at Pro Player Stadium (now Sun Life Stadium) and renamed Stadium Street to Dan Marino Boulevard.[22]

In early 2004, Marino briefly returned to the Miami Dolphins as Senior Vice President of Football Operations, but resigned from the newly created position only three weeks later, saying that the role was not in the best interest of either his family or the Dolphin organization.

Marino's #13 NASCAR racecar

Marino was a first-ballot selection to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2005. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame on August 7, 2005 and was introduced by his oldest son, Daniel. During his induction speech, Dan threw "one last pass" to former teammate Mark Clayton, who was sitting in the audience.

Marino was an analyst for CBS's Sunday pregame show The NFL Today, from 2002-2013. On February 18, 2014 it was announced that he was leaving the show.[23] He was formerly a studio analyst on HBO's Inside the NFL, from 2002–2007.

On August 24, 2014, Marino announced he would return to the Dolphins as a special adviser.[24]

Ownership in NASCAR

In 1997, Marino became involved in a marketing role with Team Cheever of the Indy Racing League through FirstPlus Mortgage, the sponsor of the car. In 1998, Marino co-owned a NASCARWinston Cup Series racing team with driver Bill Elliott, creating Elliott-Marino Motorsports.[25] The team's car number was #13, Marino's uniform number, and had primary sponsorship from FirstPlus Mortgage, whose company colors, coincidentally, were turquoise, orange, and white – similar to aqua and coral, the team colors of the Miami Dolphins. The team chose rookie driver Jerry Nadeau to pilot the car at the start of the season; he was later released and the team went through a rotation of drivers. The team failed to qualify for several races, but did post a top-5 finish at Phoenix International Raceway late in the season with Ted Musgrave driving. The team only lasted the 1998 season and closed afterward.

Personal life

In 1985, Marino married Claire D. Veazey (born c. 1962) of Mount Lebanon, Pennsylvania at St. Regis Roman Catholic Church, across the street from the home of Marino's parents.[26] Marino and his wife have six children: Daniel (born 1986), Michael (born 1988), Joseph (born 1989), Alexandra (born 1992), Lia (born 1995 in China) and Niki Lin (born 1996 in China). He and his wife continue to live in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and also have a vacation home in Kiawah Island, South Carolina.

Marino opened two restaurants in South Florida called Dan Marino's Town Tavern, with one location in Coral Springs and another on Las Olas Boulevard in Fort Lauderdale; the name was later changed to Dan Marino's Fine Food and Spirits. By 2006, both original locations had closed and the restaurant opened other locations in Miami, St. Petersburg, Las Vegas and Orlando. As of late 2010, the Miami and Las Vegas stores remain in operation.[27]

Marino was awarded an honorary doctorate degree in broadcast journalism by his alma mater, the University of Pittsburgh, in 2005. He delivered the commencement speech at the university's 2008 graduation ceremony.[28]

In January 2013, Marino admitted to fathering a child with CBS employee Donna Savattere in 2005, a fact that he had previously only shared with his wife. He had previously paid Savattere several million dollars to keep the news of their daughter, Chloe, from the public.[29]

Marino is currently featured in advertisement campaigns for Hooters, NutriSystem weight loss programs,[32]Maroone, Papa John's, Nutrasource.com and Empi Select (a TENS device).[33] Previously, Marino endorsed Isotoner gloves and FirstPlus Mortgage against whom he later filed suit due to contracts related to his racing team.[34]

In April 2012, Marino became the AARP's “Men’s Life Ambassador", through which he planned to share his point of view and expertise on a variety of men’s interests, including health, fitness, sports, lifestyle, entrepreneurship, aging and community service, primarily through the website.[35]

Dan Marino Foundation

The Dan Marino Foundation was established in 1992 by Marino and his wife, Claire, after their son, Michael, was diagnosed with autism.[36] The foundation has distributed over $22 million to research, services, and treatment programs serving children with neurodevelopment disabilities. The Dan Marino Center, which opened in 1995 along with the Miami Children's Hospital, is an integrated neurodevelopmental center specializing in the diagnosis and treatment of children at risk for developmental and psychological problems. The center saw more than 48,000 children last year alone.

On November 7, 2005, the National Basketball Association's Miami Heat honored Marino's charitable works and recognized his service to South Florida with a halftime tribute, as well as a large donation to the Marino Foundation. Though a Heat jersey with his name and #13 was unveiled, this did not constitute retirement of his number by the Heat,[36] and was worn by Heat guard/forward Mike Miller as recently as the 2012/2013 NBA season.

On March 23, 2010, The Dan Marino Foundation held its first "Walk about Autism". Over 6000 walkers participated, as well as 420 volunteers provided by the Miami Dolphins Special Teams. The money raised benefited several funds including the Autism Societies of Miami-Dade and Broward; the University of Miami-Nova Southeastern University Center for Autism and Related Disabilities; the Florida Atlantic University Center for Autism and Related Disabilities; and the Dan Marino Foundation.

NFL records set by Dan Marino

This list documents records set by Marino, some of which have since been tied or broken.[37][38]

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